Cloud services offer a lot of helpful features and are becoming more essential for a lot of people. Whether you are using the cloud to host your website, There are a handful of big ones out there, but two of the biggest ones are Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. Is one better than the other? Are there some things one does better? Well, we’re here to answer those questions and more.
The quick and easy answer is “it depends.” That is not the answer a person wants to hear, but it’s the truth. Which cloud web provider you ultimately choose to go with will depend on your circumstances, particularly what you are looking to do with the provider.
Why is AWS good?
One of the big advantages of going with AWS is that there comes a certain level of trust. It’s the most popular cloud web provider for a good reason, boasting the most compliance certifications of any provider. AWS being scalable is also a great part of the service, ensuring that you can purchase what you need at first for storage, and if you find that you need more than that, you can simply scale up how much storage space you’re paying for. It’s a speedy cloud service, and perhaps the best thing about it is that you don’t have to pay for what you use instead of making you pay for a bunch of cruds you don’t need. Plus, you can even set it to alert you when you hit a certain milestone in pay per month, which helps avoid spending more than you can afford.
AWS downsides
Depending on where you live, you may find that some AWS services are not available to you. As such, if you are outside the US, check to see whether certain services are available in your country. Another issue is that, should you require either in-depth or immediate support, you will have to pay extra.
Why is Microsoft Azure good?
One of the best things that can be said about Microsoft Azure is its level of security. Its design is based on Security Development Lifecycle (SDL), which helps keep your private data stored on Microsoft Azure secured. It also has the honor of being approved by the European Union’s data protection authorities for its high degree of security and is the first to adopt the international Cloud privacy standard. It may also prove to be good for people who are less experienced with this kind of thing, offering a smoother learning curve than AWS. Not to say that AWS is particularly difficult, but if the learning curve is a big deal for you, this may be the deciding factor for you. One great thing about Microsoft Azure is that Azure container instances can be run without a virtual machine.
Microsoft Azure downsides
Microsoft Azure, when compared to AWS, does have some issues that may make it more difficult to choose. For example, if pricing is a concern, you may be disappointed by how stringent the pricing structure is for Azure, especially by comparison.
Is there any reason to choose a cloud web provider besides them?
While these are two of the biggest cloud web providers, they are by no means the only ones. For example, another major cloud service provider is Google Cloud. One of the big advantages of going with Google Cloud is that it has a strict adherence to high uptime rates, holding itself to never going below 99.99 percent uptime in a month. If Google Cloud does go below 99.99 percent, even by .01 percent, they are obligated to give you financial credit for falling below standard. On the other hand, IBM Cloud sees less mass appeal, due to its aim being to appeal to businesses and government. Because of this, you should expect to pay a fair bit more than you would for the other three on this list.
There may be other cloud web services, but it’s important that you examine the pros and cons of any you’re considering using, regardless of how big or popular they are. By being thorough, you increase the likelihood that you find the right cloud web service for you, or to even figure out whether going with one is even the best idea.
Do I need to go with a cloud web provider?
While cloud web providers are popular with a lot of businesses, not every business is going to necessarily benefit much, if at all, from such a direction. Money invested in cloud web services should be invested with a return on investment in mind. If you are a small business, or you simply do not anticipate much growth in your business’s future, then all that money you put into AWS or Microsoft Azure will not be worth it. Instead, focus on making a serviceable website if you are going to make one at all.
